Wet and Cold

Think of the last thing you would ever dream of doing on a chill winter’s day, and that’s how you could, um, celebrate the new year. Intrepid adventure-seekers will welcome 2014 with a leap into frigid waters at today’s 31st annual Boulder Polar Plunge, a tradition that draws a surprisingly...

By Susan Froyd

December 26, 2013

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Think of the last thing you would ever dream of doing on a chill winter’s day, and that’s how you could, um, celebrate the new year. Intrepid adventure-seekers will welcome 2014 with a leap into frigid waters at today’s 31st annual Boulder Polar Plunge, a tradition that draws a surprisingly large crowd to dally with the shock of the new at the Boulder Reservoir. This year’s plunge ushers in a new sponsor — the Boulder County AIDS Project — and also caters to your every frozen-solid need, should you choose to jump.

“Plunge veterans will be pleased to know that we are not changing the event too much,” says spokeswoman Elissa Smith. “Plungers will receive a long-sleeved Plunge T-shirt included with their registration, and we’ll have the warming tent and showers again, of course. We are also reaching out to local food trucks to see about providing hot beverages and maybe some hangover-curing breakfast burritos for those who celebrated New Year’s Eve a little too hard.” As an added perk for kids (the event is family-friendly and open to children six and up) and the young at heart, Pablo the Polar Bear will be posing for pictures with shivering pipsqueaks of all ages.

Are you ready to clear your mind and body in an instant? Registration begins at the Boulder Reservoir Beach, 5100 North 51st Street in Boulder, at 10 a.m.; the first wave of plungers goes in at 11 a.m., and the last at 1:30 p.m. The fee to participate is $20 to $25, but sign up online at bcap.org before today and you’ll get $5 off. Not quite ready to, er, take the plunge, but willing to cheer? BCAP is also seeking volunteers to help out; call 303-444-6121.
Wed., Jan. 1, 10 a.m., 2014

Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

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